YUMMY LUNCH

LENTIL SOUP EVERY DAY

If someone had told me I’d be eating lentil soup every noontime for the two weeks I’d be in Scotland I wouldn’t have believe them. Bit that is exactly what happened.

The weather was overcast much of the time and the temperatures cool, neither of which, however, dampened our enthusiasm and wonderful time. Somehow we always found ourselves in a museum, castle, or some historic site at noon. Both my traveling buddy, Jan,  and I tend to push the envelope as far as time is concerned  to see and experience as much as possible.

I had an uncanny knack of glancing at my watch ten minutes before our time was up, and then we’d make a be-line for the inevitable café on the premises. Lentil soup was always on the stove, hot and ready to serve. With our limited time we didn’t have to wait for a sandwich to be made or anything cooked. On occasion I actually had to put an ice cube in my soup to cool it down enough to eat. A bowl of filling hot lentil soup and a crusty roll was a perfect lunch and in short order we were on our way.

DUBROVNIK

DUBROVNIK, A Historic City

            Dubrovnik may be the best known area of Croatia for Americans, but the country offers much more than the ancient city.  Croatians call their country Hrvatska. The C-shaped country with a long tail has 372 miles of coastline, as the crow flies, but 1100 miles including coves and inlets.  Forested mountains, covering 40% of the country, often seem to emerge out of the clear turquoise water of the Adriatic. In my 1000 miles of travel throughout the country it seemed mountains could be seen everywhere.

       
Nude beaches are no big deal, and it is said that on one of the many  islands a hotel receptionist greets guests wearing only a bow tie. However, I did not confirm this. Beaches tend to be pebbly and rocky, not sandy, and I understand Croats prefer them that way. I guess it's what one is accustomed to. 

           

Dubrovnik and Zadar, suffered damage to 60% of their cities, but it appears that the coast escaped much of the ravages of the Homeland War of 1991-95.

          

 Dubrovnik, a sea of red tile roofs, suffered much damage with 55 % of the buildings being hit by mortar shells or bombs. The wall survived undamaged. UNESCO funds allowed speedy repair and restoration of the walled city.  Vehicles are not allowed in the pedestrian friendly city, but on an early morning visit to avoid crowds and heat, I did spot a small electric Coca Cola truck restocking cafés and restaurants.

           

History lives on in the fortified city. The 7^th century canal, separating Romans and Slavs, was filled in during the 11^th century, and now is the historic wide limestone paved Placa, the heart of the city. The fortification wall was added in the 13^th century. The Republic of Dubrovnik was a major maritime power 500 years ago with the third largest navy in the Mediterranean. The base for a fleet of ships carrying trade to much of Europe and the Middle East was a rival of Venice.

          

  I read that if one climbed the many stairs to the city wall at the Pile Gate the mile long walk around the city was downhill. Not so! When walking, one needs to watch his feet, and stop to enjoy the scenery, sites and the sparkling waters below lapping at the wall’s base.. My traveling friend was a bit concerned about walking because of her recent knee surgery.  Walking on the wall around the city, we walked up or down 406 steps! In spite of a record hot day, it was a fascinating and worthwhile walk with spectacular views of the sparkling Adriatic.  

A TRIP DECISION

A Good One

A gal I traveled with  many times nagged me for three years to go to Churchill, Manitoba, Canada to see the polar bears. I kept saying “Kelly, I don’t like cold weather! Besides I don’t have any heavy warm clothes.”

I had just returned home from hiking the Swiss Alps and  was sitting at my desk when it hit me. My daughter had ski clothes that I could borrow. In hind sight, I’m amazed it took me three years to remember this. I picked up the phone and called my friend in New Jersey saying, “If you really want to go see the polar bears I’ll borrow warm clothes and go with you.”

Ecstatic she gave me the tour company phone number. I couldn’t believe it when I learned that they were totally booked eleven months in advance! So I placed another call to New Jersey and told her. “Well it’s all for not. They are totally booked for next year.”

“Not so fast gal. Give me a couple of days to do a bit of research and I’ll call you back.”

True to her word, I heard from her a few days later. Our second choice company had a couple of spots left for the following season. I begged the fellow I was talking to to hold two spots for a day or so until I could get back to Kelly, then back to him with her preferred date.

Long story short, I did, and he did, and we booked a trip for the following mid-October. There are two options to get to Churchill—fly in or take a many hour train ride from Winnipeg, as  there are no roads into the city. We landed in Churchill after a new fallen snow the night before. I was warm in my heavy clothes and my feet were dry in my boots. I shoveled enough snow as a kid in New England to last me a lifetime, but it was kind of fun to just enjoy the fresh snow that was still clean and white..

I am glad I made this trip with my friend, as we had a wonderful time and she died the following May.